


Home can be People

by bloodymariner



Category: All For The Game - Nora Sakavic
Genre: Fluff, M/M, Road Trips, brief mention of neil/andrew, brief mentions of andrew and dan
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-12-25
Updated: 2016-12-25
Packaged: 2018-09-12 03:49:35
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,696
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/9054031
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/bloodymariner/pseuds/bloodymariner
Summary: This was a present for tumblr user phereinnike for tfcsecretsanta 2016! Matt decides to take Neil on a road trip and Neil decides he might actually like traveling.





	

“You want to what?” Neil asked, looking up from the brochure Matt had handed him excitedly a minute ago. He lifted his hand and marveled at the faint traces of glitter left behind on the pads of his fingers. Matt had really outdone himself with whatever this was.

“It’s a road trip man!” Matt grinned, barely holding back his enthusiasm. “I know you haven't been a lot of places just for fun so maybe you'd enjoy this.” His smile persisted as Neil stayed silent, examining the brochure with quiet interest. “I mean the stuff on there is mostly national parks and nature things so if you want to change it I can --”

Neil cut him off with a small smile “No it's fine. I think this is really cool actually.” He felt his heart shake as Matt’s smile grew impossibly wide, his cheeks flushed with affection. Best friend, he thought suddenly. He never thought he would understand that concept. One person you cared about enough to trust and be open with? The idea has been pounded out of his head by his upbringing. A flash of orange bandanas and an easy smile had built it back from the ground up. 

In the background Neil could hear Matt talking about things they had to buy before they started out. “Do the others know we're going?” He asked. Matt responded easily, “Yeah they're cool with it. Kevin wanted us to stay and drill some more but the girls are already going to Hawaii so he figured as long as we came back soon we’d be fine. Pretty sure he's taking the time to be with Coach.” Neil nodded. Truthfully he wasn't surprised Kevin wanted some time with his dad away from exy but he couldn't relate. 

Over the next few days Matt was a blur between practice and stores and the mechanic. Neil felt a little guilty that his only contributions to planning were coming to clothing stores to buy hiking boots and a thick canvas jacket. Allison reassured him after practice, “You're better off not interfering too much when Matt plans something. He may not seem like it but he likes organizing and having things in order before he can let loose.” It made sense. Matt wasn't in control of so many of the things that had happened to him in his past but despite that, he was an incredibly easy-going person. Neil understood the need to be able to keep something in check before being able to let your guard down. 

Another week passed before break began. Nicky bought a ticket to Germany to see his partner and the girls were off to Hawaii so they carpooled to the airport together. Aaron and Katelyn had left a day early after their last classes to visit Katelyn’s parents. As much as Neil didn't care to be around Aaron, he still hoped Katelyn’s parents liked him. Meanwhile, Andrew and Kevin were staying at Palmetto State. Kevin still thought it was a miracle that Andrew actually wanted to continue extra practices with him, and Andrew didn't have anything better to do. 

“You could come with us,” Neil murmured the night before he was planning to leave. “Matt wouldn't mind.” Andrew shifted in Neil’s arms, his lips feathered over Neil’s collarbone. It was a rare moment, utterly enjoyable yet fleeting. Andrew was one of the strongest people he knew, but also maybe one of the most fragile. Not fragile in an emotional way. Fragile in the way sunsets change time, tides move the earth. Fragile in a way that made Neil never want to leave. He suspected if he ever told Andrew this, he would punch him in the gut.

Andrew shook his head slightly. “Not for me,” he said, his voice soft and low. Andrew’s calf curled over Neil’s, their skin cold under the thin sheets. Neil opened his mouth to say something but Andrew shushed him, “Go to sleep idiot,” as he poked him between his ribs.

Neil was awoken the next morning by the harshly irritating sound of his alarm clock, strategically placed at the other end of the room so Neil would have to get up to turn it off. He moved Andrew’s arm gently in order to get up and stretched his arms out, joints cracking pleasantly. He swept a hand through his bed hair and wiped the sleep out of his eyes. He made his way to the bathroom, stumbling a little before turning on the light. Skincare products that Allison had given him flay in neat rows on the counter next to a small bottle of cologne from Nicky. Gathering his things after a quick shower, he met Matt outside his room, already in the hallway. It was still dark out by the time Matt’s truck’s engine warmed up and they were off. 

“Passenger picks the music,” Matt reminded him, Neil interestedly looking at the multitude of CDs in Matt’s glove compartment. Bits of sunshine began to peep through the horizon as Neil settled on a Strokes album for the start of their trip. A map with red marker scrawled all over it sat squarely on the dashboard and the electronic voice of the GPS they borrowed from Coach warbled quietly as Matt drove. 

Neil cracked open the window and closed his eyes, cold morning air rushing against his eyelids, whipping around his face. He felt his heart skip a beat when he looked back at Matt, sunlight cast across his face flatteringly, his high cheekbones and freckles and dark skin. How was it possible for a person to feel so much like home? Neil supposed the whole team felt like home, even Aaron, and especially Andrew, but there was something about Matt that made him so easy to be around.

He didn't know when he fell asleep but when Neilnext awoke they were stopped at a rest station. Neil could see Matt outside the window at the vending machines, white baseball cap set snugly over his curly hair. Matt clambered back into the car, tossing Neil a packet of barbecue chips. “You want me to drive?” Neil asked as he munched on chips. Matt replied, “Nah we're almost there, don't worry about it.”

The truck came to life again and Neil waited a few moments before asking, “What's this place called again?” He knew they were in North Carolina at this point but was unsure about which park was their first destination. “Blue Ridge Parkway,” Matt answered. “Supposed to have great hiking trails.” Soon enough they ended up in the parking lot at the base of one of the trails. Neil took a map of the mountain’s’ trails from a ranger cabin next to the parking lot before changing from his sneakers to hiking boots as Matt did the same. 

Neil fought the urge to bob up and down like a little kid as they started off on one of the trails in comfortable silence. It took quite a while to get to an area where the pair of them wanted to rest. Neil unscrewed a water bottle and took a big gulp before handing it to Matt. He gazed down at the valley below them and his heart nearly stopped. The entire valley was filled with wildflowers, the soft breeze scattering petals and shaking stems. “That's,” Neil swallowed thickly. “That's really nice.” Matt squeezed his shoulder. “Glad you're enjoying this.”

The next few days were a whirlwind of driving and hiking and camping out in the woods. Neil couldn't remember how many meals they had ended up making over campfires, how many urban legend terror tales Matt had whispered in the dark, how many surprisingly on key sing alongs they had had in the car. 

Admittedly they'd strayed from the plan a little. Neil’s curiosity and Matt’s eagerness took them to diners and small towns, arcades with flashing neon lights and bookstores permeated with the smell of old paper and coffee. They took drives up mountain roads and ate cup noodles from the bed of the truck. Somewhere along the way Neil realized he didn't hate moving around a lot anymore, as long as it was with friends. 

A week passed and the boys had ended up by Niagara Falls. Unabashedly, Matt took Neil through all the tourist traps and bought t shirts for everyone on the team at one of the gift shops. Eventually they had to head back to Palmetto State and Neil took the first leg of the long drive home. 

Matt had the wheel when they passed by a highway exit sign for New York City, the sound system buzzing quietly with rnb music. A light rain dusted over the car as they drove and Neil found it in himself to say, “Do you think we have time to stop in the city?” Matt’s response of an emphatic yes had Neil smiling. Matt thought that smile could cause wars. 

“I used to live here,” Matt mentioned as they got closer to the city. “Really?” Neil asked, sitting up and pushing back against the leather seat. “Yeah just for a couple of years with my dad. Haven't really been back much but I really liked it here.” Neil cautiously put his hand on Matt’s arm in what he hoped was comfort. Matt’s eyes widened a fraction of an inch but he grinned at Neil before saying, “Hope you're okay with being cheesy as hell because there's no way we're not doing every touristy thing possible!” Neil groaned good-naturedly. 

A whole two days passed before Matt and Neil found it in themselves to head home again. Matt wasn't kidding when he said he wanted to do every touristy thing possible. Neil's eyes were still reeling from all the sights and all the pictures they took together When they got back, Andrew was the first to quite dramatically whisk Neil away while Matt caught up with the girls, Renee slightly sunburnt from their time in Hawaii. 

“You had fun?” Dan asked Matt, taking the camera he offered her to flip through their numerous pictures. He caught Neil’s eye before he disappeared inside Fox Tower. “Yeah we did,” Matt said happily.


End file.
